DUSHANBE, October 17, 2011, Asia-Plus — The High-Level Group of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is holding regulation consultations in Moscow today.
Vladimir Zaynetdinov, a spokesman for the CSTO Secretariat, says the meeting has brought together deputy foreign ministers, deputy defense ministers as well as deputy security secretaries from the CSTO member nations to discuss implementation of decisions of the CSTO heads of state, topical problems of international and regional security, the current situation in Afghanistan and the planned withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
The consultations are also expected to focus on working out proposals on response to possible changes in the region and prevention of negative consequences for the CSTO member nations.
According to the Tajik MFA information department, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmoudjon Sobirov, Deputy Defense Minister Ramil Nadyrov and Deputy Security Secretary Akram Amonov are representing Tajikistan at the consultations.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is the regional security organization. It was initially formed in 1992 for a five-year period by the members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) — Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which were joined by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Belarus the following year. A 1994 treaty “reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force,” and prevented signatories from joining any “other military alliances or other groups of states” directed against members states. The CST was then extended for another five-year term in April 1999, and was signed by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. In October 2002, the group was renamed as the CSTO. Uzbekistan became a full participant in the CSTO in June 2006. The CSTO is currently an observer organization at the United Nations General Assembly.
